East Hampton's Lake Pocotopaug To Lower Water Level For Winter

ERIK HESSELBERG,Special to The Courant

Lake Pocotopaug's water levels to be lowered for winter.

EAST HAMPTON — Owners of the Lake Pocotopaug dam will return to the practice of lowering the water level in the 512-acre lake this fall to allow residents to shore up seawalls and perform beach cleanup before winter.

First Selectman Mike Maniscalco said the drawdown will begin Oct. 10, and will continue over several weeks to reach the desired lake level.

Maniscalco said he hopes the lake will be kept low over the winter to reduce the chance of ice damage.

"We had a lot of ice damage this past winter, so naturally we would prefer to have the water level remain lower over the winter," Maniscalco said.

Water levels are a touchy subject on Lake Pocotopaug, with some residents in the past complaining that the water was too high, and others too low.

Although the lake belongs to the town, the dam controlling water levels is owned by Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Co., the town's last remaining bell company whose brick factory on the creek below the lake was destroyed by fire in May 2012.

Bevin Brothers inherited ownership of the dam at the lake's southern outlet years ago from a consortium of sleigh bell manufacturers, who in the 19th and early 20th century, relied on water power from Pocotopaug Creek, fed by Lake Pocotopaug. Bevin Brothers' owner, Matt Bevin, lives in Kentucky.

Earlier this year, the town spent $35,000 for repairs to the Sears Park beach, which was heavily damaged by ice during the harsh winter. Some residents blamed the ice damage on what they believe were higher than normal water levels in the lake.

The town is working with a retired engineer to develop a depth gauge to monitor water levels. An electronic buoy to monitor water levels in real time is also considered.